Laid bare
by Ichi-Bitch
Summary: He's a painter, she's a fighter with a dark past. How can they ever be together when she's looking over her shoulder at every turn, afraid to be herself in case she's dragged back to the world she barely escaped from. Yes terrible but the story is nice. WARNING: VIOLENCE, SWEARING AND BOOZE! Other important things and blah blah blah. Oh fem!Ichi, yay!
1. Chapter 1

Rolling his eyes, he glared at the man he called his best friend as the guy dragged him over to a warehouse in the shadier part of town. He was really beginning to wonder why the idiot was his best friend.  
"The fuck are we doing here Nnoi, I have other shit I could be doing," he growled, trying to pull his wrist out of the lanky mans surprisingly strong grip. Nnoitra just flashed his trademark piano tooth smile, as he showed the giant security guard a card. The place was an illegal boxing ring. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise, he hadn't expected this.  
"I promised Nel I'd bring ya along the next time there was a match, you've been spending too much time holed up in your studio Grimm," he muttered pushing past everyone in the packed room till they were at the front of the crowd, giving him a great view of the two women currently in the ring. People were shouting and cat calling while the two fought in a lazy manner. One was short with long black hair held back in two braids, gold rings hanging from the end, the other an exotic woman with purple hair and piercing yellow eyes. Nnoitra wasn't even interested in the fight, he was too busy going over the board listing the odds for the next few matches. It wasn't long before he was once again being dragged behind Nnoitra like a dog, the man heading straight to the locker room, a scowl plastered on his face.  
A curvy woman with sea green wavy hair and large hazel eyes jumped up from her seat as the two entered, Nnoitra let go of Grimmjow to run to her a worried look in his eye. He'd never seen the other so worried about someone other than himself before, it was freaky. With nothing to do since he'd been forgotten for the moment he glanced round the room to look at the other fighters. The one standing by Nel looked like she belonged in the amazon as a warrior, she was tall with tan skin and blonde hair with a stern face. To the left of her was a short raven haired girl, she was having her hands tapped up by a serene looking lady with long black hair braided down her front. He almost jumped in shock when he spotted his old sparring partner from the gym, a feisty raven named Tatsuki. She smirked when she spotted him and nodded turning her attention back to the punching bag in front of her. What caught his full attention were the two women sitting alone on the other side of the room, they looked exactly alike except for the hair colours. They were sharing a chair one sitting in the others lap. One had pure white hair, the other a bright orange, both were scowling. It was the latter that caught his attention, the second she felt his gaze she looked up at him the two locking eyes. They were a warm chocolate-brown mixed with hints of golden honey, a really enchanting colour. They stayed like that staring at one another till Nnoitra punched him in the arm, probably to get his attention, he'd probably been ignoring him for several seconds.  
"That's Blood rain and Silent death, people just call 'em Rain and Silence. Nobody knows their actual names, I'd stay away from them if I were you. Nel has to fight Silence for the championship tonight, that's why I'm worried about her. The twins are monsters," he said, turning him back to face Nel and the Amazonian woman, pulling him over to introduce Grimmjow to the two.  
"Grimm my girl Neliel and her best friend Halibel, Aries the Ram and The Amazon Lioness."  
"Excuse me." Everyone but the twins jumped at the sound of the small voice, all eyes directed at the small figure standing in the doorway, slightly hunched over. He smiled, scratching the back of his head.  
"Move it flower," someone shouted, slamming open the door almost knocking over the boy. He bowed to the two women that had just entered. They were the ones from the ring.  
"Yes, umm Silence and Aries your up," he muttered bowing once more before disappearing. Nnoitra grabbed him arm, shouting something about the match but he didn't really pay attention, all he could think about was the fighter they all called Silence.  
The small quite man from earlier was standing in the middle of the ring, hands twisted up in his jumper. Grimmjow could only wonder why he was standing there, with his small voice he couldn't surely be the MC. The man didn't even leave an impression at all, he was small and short with droopy grey eyes and black hair. The guy looked like he was trying to hide in the baggy jumper he was wearing.  
"And now for the championship match, the fight you've all been waiting for. Tonight we have the returning champion Aries the Ram facing our new comer Silent death. Now the rules are no weapons, no substances and anything goes, LETS FIGHT!" He was completely shocked, Nnoitra was laughing at his reaction. The small guy had such a powerful voice and the second he spoke he looked like he belonged in the ring. The crowd fell silent as the two women entered the ring, it was eerie. The presenter only stayed long enough to wish them luck before disappearing. The match started with Nel growling at Silence, charging at her head first much like a ram would. He almost feared the worst for Silence, she didn't look strong and she was lithe and tall. A harsh breeze could probably knock her over. As Nel came closer she dropped in a fighting stance he hadn't seen before, meeting the attack head on. She shifted slightly using a hand to push Nel off course before kicking her in the stomach with enough force to send Nel flying. It was at that moment that something about her changed, she went from being the hunted to the hunter, poor Nel no longer stood a chance. He had never seen anything more beautiful than the girl currently in the ring, all he could see was the fire in those honey-brown eyes and the precise strikes of her hands. When Nel finally struck her, striking her face, she bled and vividness of the blood made her more livelier than earlier, it made her look more animalistic. All he wanted to do was remember how she looked right at the moment of contact, he wanted to paint it. She didn't show any sign pain or even any sign of being hit but her eyes light up like a blazing fire and her hits were faster. Everyone around him was shouting and screaming, pushing up against the boundary of the ring. Yet he stood there silently in the chaos gazing up at the beauty of that boxer. Nnoitra turned to his best friend, wanting to see if he was enjoying the carnage displayed before him when he saw that all to familiar look in his eyes. Grimmjow had found his next muse.  
He watched Grimm's gaze for a second trying to figure out if it was the sport or one of the boxers that held his attention. It wasn't until the end of the round when he found out, his gaze was fixed solely on Silence. Nnoitra smirked and rolled his lone eye, hopefully Grimmjow would thank him for this later instead of punching him in the gut like normal. Leaning down he whispered, "I'm gonna drag ya backstage again after this, why not ask her to model for ya?" He suggested, his friend nodded eyes never leaving Silence.  
Nel had to be walked out of the ring by Halibel at the end of the match, Silent death had won, only being hit once. Grimmjow and Nnoitra trailed after the girls, Nnoitra unable to keep calm. The second they reached the locker room he was darting towards Nel. Grimm laughed at him, making his way over to the twins soon after. He found them once again sharing a chair, both staring at him intently.  
"I'd like to ask ya something."


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo stared at the card in her hand, scowling. What could he possibly see in her, she wasn't pretty but violent and then drove normal people away from her. Slipping the card into her pocket she glanced at the other fighters, the one she had beaten up smiled at her, waving her over. With a glance at Shiro she stood and took a few small steps forward.  
"Hey Silence, Hal, I and couple of the other girls are going out for a drink, care to join us?" She stared at the childish woman stunned she'd even asked. For the short time she'd been there she hadn't even bothered to learn the woman's actual name. It may have been Meli or something. Ichigo glanced back at her twin, Shiro shrugged, she couldn't care either way. Ichigo turned back to the expectant group and nodded, with Yoruichi jumping onto her back shouting about getting her drink on.  
"Come on strawberry, lead the way." Ichigo sighed and raised a brow, slowly she moved into a back bend careful to keep her weight even since she had the added weight of Yoruichi. The exotic woman screeched like a cat that had been dunked in water as she fell. The others laughed, the childish woman grabbing her arm to avoid more conflict.  
"Why don't we just go before another fight breaks out," she muttered with a slightly tense smile, eyes fixed on their whining boss.  
The bar they went to was one Ichigo had been visiting for years now, the bar tender smiled and waved as she came over, dragging Aries with her. Without a word Chad placed a beer in front of her, causing the older woman to pout. Ichigo looked up at her with confusion.  
"I thought I was finally going to hear you speak and it turns out that he knows exactly what you want," she muttered, brows creased and fists clenched. Ichigo smiled, snickering at her behaviour.  
"Sorry but I rarely have much to say," she said her voice husky from lack of use. Shiro glanced at her surprised she was even talking, Ichigo shrugged watching as she donned an apron before stepping behind the bar.  
"What will it be Neliel?" Shiro asked, it was odd that she actually knew the names of the other fighters. Nel grinned, bouncing on her seat like an excited puppy.  
"Scotch on the rocks, I'm very surprised you actually knew my name," she said, almost shouting. The twins both cringed, maybe talking to the girl was a bad idea. It had seemed like she had taken one to many hits to the head. Speaking of punches, Ichigo had yet to check the damage from the match. Shiro smacked the first aid kit down onto the counter, already one step ahead of her. With a sigh she moved to sit on the counter and let her sister fix her nose, she didn't need a kink in it yet.  
"I'm sorry about that Silence. Normally I wouldn't punch someone on the nose but I needed a gap between us and that was the only time I saw an opening," she muttered instantly unhappy compared to seconds ago. Nel seemed genuinely sincere, with a shrug she accepted the apology, hissing as Shiro moved her nose back into place before applying the band-aid.  
"Are you sure you should be doing that Rain?" The Amazon woman asked, having finally caught up with her friend.  
"Yeah, not the first time I've fixed her nose," she started,  
"And it certainly won't be the last," Ichigo finished, plugging her nose with tissues to stop the bleeding. She didn't bother trying to clean up the blood staining her lips, chin and neck. It kept away any of the local perverts that would normally try to grope her. After a while she pulled out that card she stashed in her pocket, thinking about the man who had given it to her. At first glance you wouldn't think someone like him was a painter, rather a boxer or maybe a crime boss even. Something about him was different, a wild cat, that's what he reminded Ichigo of. Focusing on the business card she blocked out everything else till the current conversation became background noise, pondering what this man found fascinating about her.  
It wasn't until someone steered the conversation back to the up coming fights that she bothered joining in again.  
"Hey Rain when will you be entering the ring again? I haven't seen you fight since your début," Hal asked, the curiosity clear in her tone. Shiro's first match hadn't been much of a fight, that girl they had matched her with had almost died in the ring.  
"She was suspended, Menoly almost died on the way to the hospital," Yoruichi said, scaring everyone but the twins as she snuck up on them. Shiro bit her lip, glaring at the floor, while Ichigo opted for glaring at Yoruichi. The other two just simply looked shocked.  
"Surely you jest?" Halibel asked, eyes wide. It was the most emotion they had seen on the woman.  
"She's serious," Shiro hissed, extremely mad at the exotic woman for saying that. The pale copy slammed a drink down on the counter, turning her ice-cold gaze onto the older woman, glaring till she took the glass and left. Halibel and Nel gazed at the two, really curious about what happened during her first match but one look from Silence sent their curiosity running. Halibel had the feeling that if they even opened their mouth with the intent of asking about it, Silence would kill them.  
"That aside when are you returning to the ring?" Nel asked bravely, trying not to shy away from the fiery twins.  
"We fight each other next week," they muttered, speaking in unison, their voices monotone. The two took that as their cue to leave joining the others at the booth. Ichigo beckoned her copy forward, grabbing her hand and squeezing. Silently she reassured her sister that they wouldn't be repeating the past, not again. Shiro leant forward till her forehead was resting against Ichigo's, slowly she smiled glad for the support.  
"So are you going to model for the blue haired guy?" Shiro asked, changing the conversation as quickly as she could.  
"Yeah, I think I'll be going round tomorrow. Bruises and all." the two giggled, Shiro quickly returning to her work, feeling better.  
Yoruichi was thoroughly plastered, lying prone on the floor of the bar snoring. Shiro stood over her amazed at the amount she must have had to pass out like this. She kicked her foot lightly to see if there was a response and received nothing. Soi fon had left earlier in the evening, so they couldn't ask her to return the drunk home.  
"Looks like we're going to have to take her home," she grumbled, tossing her apron onto the counter.  
"You sure you don't need some help?" Rukia asked, lingering at the entrance with Tatsuki, both a little concerned about the drunkard sleeping on the floor. Shiro waved them off with an unamused look.  
"We're good, her place is on the way home." Rukia glanced at Yoruichi once more before being dragged out the door by Tatsuki, who shouted out "bye." With a sighing a shared look of annoyance between her and Ichigo pulled Yoruichi to her feet before helping her onto Shiro's back, the pale copy the stronger of the two.  
"Night chad," they muttered, a defeatist tone in both their voices. The giant smiled at the twins, holding the door open for the pair, watching as they descended into the dark streets.


	3. Chapter 3

Groaning, he struggled out of his bed having barely fallen asleep less than five minutes ago after a long night of painting. The bright sunlight invading the room between the gaps in the curtains, he scowled, flinging a hand over his eyes and stumbled blindly to the door. The young woman standing outside his apartment looked terrible, her right eye was swollen shut, surrounded by colourful bruises and her nose was covered in bandages. Probably domestic abuse.  
"Yer nose is broken," he mumbled yawning, barely opening the door to his apartment. He hadn't been expecting her. He didn't even know who she was but he had to since she knocked on his door his neighbours ignored him like the plague and he hardly had visitors. Ichigo frowned a little bitting her lip, wondering if she should just leave.  
"Uh huh, are you okay with my face being bruised like this?" She asked, unsure if he wanted to paint her picture while she was still bruised. Artist's were peculiar people and would only paint what they wanted, her father had once mentioned her own mother had been like that when she was for a short time a painter. The man before Ichigo looked at her with utter confusion before realising who she was and stood a little straighter, interest flickering in his eyes. He opened the door a bit wider but not by much.  
"Sorry, I gotta sculpture wedged behind it," he explained. Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise when she finally entered the main room of his apartment, every available surface was covered in paintings and such. His back wall was a mural, the entire expanse of the wall had been painted to look like a city-scape from Venice, even the people were detailed and unique. One could spend hours staring at it and still find something new within the painting. But now wasn't the time for day-dreaming. The only things in the room that weren't art related was a paint splattered bed and a stool. Ichigo stopped before a portrait of a woman, she looked to be in her mid fifties. Grey was starting to streak her long blue hair and she looked sad. The features that stood out the most where her eyes. They were white but not a natural white, it was as if they were clouded over, underneath the white flecks of blue could still be seen.  
'His mother perhaps?' She thought turning to ask, only to find Grimmjow had snuck up on her. He took one look at the painting, a scowl marring his face, before covering it with a piece of black linen that sat on the floor beneath it. The woman in the painting must have died.  
"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, moving away from the eerie painting. He said nothing, didn't even glance at her, his shoulders hunched a little like he was in pain. She watched silently as he pulled out a clean canvas, throwing the one he was currently painting on the floor. Ichigo moved to pick it up and place it else where but before she even touched it he yelled, "leave it there!" He pointed to the bed for a brief second, disappearing into another room. Sighing she made her way over to the bed, blankets and such had been just tossed onto it in a heap. Slowly she slipped off her jacket and sat down on the mattress, dressed in nothing more than a loose white sundress. Grimmjow had entered the room again just as she sat down pulling her knees to her chest.  
"Stay like that, rest yer head on yer knees an don't smile," he ordered, beginning to paint.  
She sat like that for hours, never moving. Not even when he stopped painting, for some reason all she wanted to do was just sit there, it was the first time she had felt so peaceful since coming to the city. Grimmjow stood before her, bending to stare closely at her face. He was interested in the bruise more than anything. He reached out tracing a finger over it, marvelling at the array of colours. Ichigo slowly looked up and blinked, honey-brown eyes dragging him from his trance. He retreated once again holding his paint brush and settled back onto his stool. Something about it was wrong, it was the eyes. He liked her gaze better when she looked up at him, the paint was wet he could still change it. There was something there, it was what caught his interest when he first saw her, it changed her completely.  
She watched as he left the apartment without a word, slowly she unfolded her legs. Picking up her jacket, Ichigo drifted over to the canvas unsure if she should look at it, it was half-finished or maybe that was how he wanted it. The body was pale, fading out at the edges. The paint looked washed out, the face stood out the most, it seemed he had spent all his time just painting the face and the eyes. There was something innocent about the eyes, she didn't even think she could look like that.  
"'M not finished, I think I may add more ta the body," he muttered, coming up behind her. She didn't jump but dropped her jacket, quickly bending to pick it up. He just stared at her, her hair had fallen away from her back revealing the ink staining her skin. Grimmjow slowly lowered his hand to her back, fingers tracing over what her could see of the tattoo.  
"That looks like a gang tattoo," he murmured finger tips following the lines of a horn peeking out from her dress. Ichigo moved away from him quickly, as if his touch burned her, yanking her jacket back on cover up that damning mark. He had mumbled something about finishing it without her, thrusting a roll of notes into her hand before literally pushing Ichigo out of his apartment and locking the door.  
She scowled into her drink, a glass of scotch her companion. After the day Ichigo had, she really needed it. Nobody outside of the organisation knew about it, and she had sworn to herself nobody ever would. It wasn't a mark she was proud of anymore.  
"You okay Ichi?" Chad asked, taking a quick break since there was a lapse in customers. She averted her gaze, not sure what exactly to say to him. He didn't know about her past, at least not that part of it. Without another word he stood, patting her shoulder. His silent way of telling her he'd wait till she was ready to talk. That was the great thing about Chad, he was completely loyal and never pried, silently waiting until the other party wanted to talk. Always there when you needed help. Ichigo managed a weak smile, finishing her drink with a sigh.  
"If Shi comes by tell her I'm at the gym." The giant nodded, waving as she left. She slid through the crowd quickly before any of the resident perverts tried grabbing at her again. It was rather annoying, and threats didn't work, the next time it happened she was seriously considering breaking the perpetrator's wrist. Glancing to her left, Ichigo took a deep breath before starting to run.  
The even pounding of her feet calmed her, all she could hear was the steady fast paced beating of her heart as she worked hard to keep her breathing even. She used the familiar burn in her legs to encourage her to run faster. It wasn't long before she reached the gym, the place was old and the building looked like it had gone through World War Two, probably had. The taped and cracked windows were the same from when her father boxed, she remembered them from when she was a child. Boxing had been her life since the day she turned six and she would continue to box until the day she died. Nothing could make her stop. When she reached the door she noted that the lights were on in the main floor. Her father must have been there.


	4. Chapter 4

There was the sound of rhythmic beats of flesh pounding against guards when she entered, Ichigo closed the door quietly behind her, noting it was her parents in the ring.

"Dad," she said in a passing greeting, heading over to the punching bags. Her mother stopped mid hit, confused, not sure why she was being ignored by the orange head.

"Good to see you here Ichigo, it's been a while since your last work out. Thanks for dragging Yoruichi home last night. I was so sure that you and Shiro would have left her there this time," he said grinning like a mad man, already realising that she was ignoring her mother. Ichigo just shrugged, sitting down to tape her knuckles. Her father jumped down from the ring, offering to do it for her. A privilege she hadn't had in a long time.

"Tell me why are you ignoring your mama, Ichi-chan?" he asked, trying to look serious, his striped bucket hatband the fan tucked into his belt kind of ruined the effect. He grabbed the punching bag holding it steady for her as she went through her warm-up routines. Ichigo struck the bag twice as hard as the last punch, her father losing his grip as the bag of sand winded him.

"She let slip to some of the other fighters that Shiro almost killed Menoly during her first match." Both stopped their movements in shock for a moment, Yoruichi moving to stand by Ichigo, hovering at the edge of her kick range.

"I'm so sorry Berry-pie," she mumbled looking completely miserable. The twins past was a little shady from what they had told their parents, only Kisuke knowing the full extent of what they had done. But if anyone found out about it they would disappear, leave the country change their names never to be seen again.

"Apologise to Shiro later, never expect us to go drinking with you and the other fighters again though or even talk to you at the ring," she said, moving to another piece of equipment, grabbing her headphones. Jamming the ear buds in she cranked the volume to max settings, losing herself in the music, while her parents watched saddened that they were unable to end their children's suffering.

He sat staring at the finished painting, probably had been doing so for a few hours but he hadn't noticed the time passing. It was probably one of his finer pieces, it had taken little under a week to finish it, the stare of the girl in the painting was hypnotic. His manager would have a field day when she saw this. He had finally finished the painting late last night, now he had several ideas for new pieces losing all interest with his commission pieces.

"She really did pose for it, I'm shocked." Grimmjow jumped at the sound of the loud voice, panicking slightly. He turned ready to attack only to find it was Nnoitra.

"Remember what happened last time ya snuck up on me, ya dick," he mentioned sitting down on his bed. The lanky man shuddered, Grimmjow had been in the middle of a sleep deprived coffee high and had pretty much attacked him like a mad man when he showed up in his apartment unannounced. Nnoitra sat down on his disgusting paint stained bed, tossing the happy meal box at Grimmjow. The bluenette was currently collecting the toys, Nnoitra had no idea why he was just following orders.

"Thanks," he said, smiling before he ripped into the meal, much like a small child.

"How are you liking Silence?" He asked, Grimmjow glanced at him for a second. He grinned briefly, "I have a lot of ideas revolving around her. More than I had with ya dressed as a Praying mantis detective." A knock at the door startled them both, Grimmjow glaring at Nnoitra to open it. He sighed in defeat hoping it wasn't a sales person, they pissed him off to no end, specially when they were really cocky. He opened the door to reveal Silence.

"Hey Silence," he greeted, brows drawn in confusion. What was she doing here? She scowled and pushed past him, slamming him face first into the wall.

"Watch it bitch," he hissed, she turned and growled fist clenched ready to hit him should it come to that.

"Stop squabbling like children, you'll upset the neighbours," Grimmjow shouted, mirth in his voice. The two glared at each other once more before she ignored him and waved to Grimmjow, who surprisingly waved back. Ichigo slid her bag off her shoulder, dumping it at the foot of the bed before going over to the finished piece. She was surprised to say the least, Ichigo didn't think she could look that alive when not involved in a fight.

"Is that how I look in the ring?" The two nodded, shocked by her reaction.

"Normally a bit more feral but yeah, in the ring ya look alive, outta it ya look like a doll," Nnoitra commented, resuming his seat on the bed. Grimmjow stood, dragging the stool to the other side of the room with him.

"Staying or going?" He asked, pulling out one of the larger canvas's. Nnoitra made himself comfy on the bed, showing of his piano tooth grin and nodded. He turned to Ichigo suddenly serious.

"I was wondering if ya would mind going topless for this one?" He asked, lowering his voice to a whisper so Nnoitra wouldn't hear in case she rejected it.

"I want ta paint yer bare back," he explained when she bit her lip, eyes drawn downwards.

"The tattoo," she muttered, "I can't let anyone see it." He nodded, thinking she got it without telling her parents.

"I wasn't gonna ta add it ta the painting anyways." Ichigo sighed in annoyance.

"That's not the problem, nobody is allowed to see it. Not even that idiot lounging on the bed," she hissed, trying to stress the importance of her situation. He rolled his eyes, women were such fussy creatures. Grabbing her wrist he dragged her to the over side of the room, moving a huge picture of dark a city-scape aside to reveal another door. She hesitated at the door.

"It's just a bathroom, I have this great concealer for covering tats and scars i use it with other models." She pulled her tank top off slowly, her bra following as she revealed the tattoo to a virtual stranger, fear coursing through her veins. What if he recognised it? The design of it was odd, she had a mask tattooed on her left shoulder about the size of his hand. The design was nightmarish, in black and white, it actually scared him a little. Worse was the scar that ran through it, almost slicing the tattoo in half. It looked like someone had tried to destroy the image, adding to the creep factor. He grabbed the glass jar of concealer quickly, not wanting to look at that image any longer. She shivered as the concealer came into contact with her skin, it was cold but also bit by bit that reminder of what she had done was disappearing, if only for a while. Something about it made her feel relieved.

"Why the hell did ya get something like this inked on yer back if ya didn't want anyone ta see it?" He asked, curious about what could ever make a girl like her want such an image on her back for all to see.

"It wasn't a choice, it was a life style. One that happened a lifetime ago," she whispered. He barely heard her but got the message behind those words loud and clear. Do not ask. He moved carefully making sure not to cover up the scar, it would enhance the image stuck in his mind greatly. He smirked once he was done, opening the door open, Silence strolled out of the room like she was a queen. Nnoitra's face went bright red from the sight of her with out a shirt, he looked away holding his hands over his eye, not wanting to betray Nel in anyway. Grimmjow laughed knowing he could use this as blackmail later. He moved her to stand, facing the wall muttering, "look over yer left shoulder and pull all yer hair over yer right." Once she did as he asked. He settled onto his stool and began to paint.


	5. Chapter 5

It was odd watching Grimmjow paint. Not that he hadn't seen the bluenette paint many times before but he had never seen him work with a live subject, the man preferred working from pictures and his imagination. Silence had surprised him, actually complying with his every command the bluenette gave her without a word of complaint. She didn't seem like the type to take orders very well. Nnoitra stood walking over to Grimmjow, curious to see what he'd done so far. The painting was breath-taking, the background was black with Silence the main attraction. One hand wrapped around her waist she was looking over her shoulder, a big scar marring her back from her left shoulder to the middle of her back. Her right was covered by a large white wing, the thing that captured his attention the most was the sad look on her face. It was different from the blank mask she wore all the time, he'd seen almost all of Silence's matches but he'd never seen her look sad. When he looked at her, her features didn't mirror that of the painting, once again they were blank.

"Wow, Grimm this is amazing," the raven whispered, in total awe of his friends talent.

"I can't believe you managed to imagine such an expression on her." Grimmjow snorted, shoving Nnoitra aside so he could continue in peace.

"Fuck off, I can only paint what I've seen," he growled, kicking out at Nnoitra's side, the lanky man going down easily. Silence started laughing, both of them paused in their attack to listen to the sound. It was a beautiful sound, light and airy. The sound of it sent new idea's running through his mind that he hadn't thought possible because he didn't believe that she could smile at all. She had a nice smile.

"The fuck are ya laughing at?" Nnoitra grumbled his pride hurt from being beaten by the both of them so easily. He prides himself on not going down easily, it hurt worse since Grimmjow who knew nothing about fighting but could knock him on his ass easily. She said nothing, refusing to answer him but the smile was still there, if only slightly.

"Give it up Nnoi. I've a gallery showing in a month or so, not far from here and I'm gonna be using as much of newer stuff as possible. Ya good with that?" He asked. She chewed her lip, actually thinking over what he was saying. Ichigo didn't care about his displaying the paintings, this was a completely different city from the pervious one she and Shiro had once resided in but there was that fear at the back of her mind that someone would recognise her face. It had already happened once, Menoly knew who the twins were. It was the reason why Shiro had almost killed her during the fight. The girl had threatened to spill the beans and she had panicked, ready to kill in order to keep their secrets. Grimmjow sighed when he saw the hesitation on her face. He smiled slightly, a little disappointed he wouldn't be able to show off his new pieces to the public just yet.

"It's okay, Don't worry about. Plenty of other shit I can use," he muttered. She jumped at his words, having forgotten where she was for the moment.

"No, no it's fine, use them Grimm. It just reminded me of something I have to do," she muttered, hurriedly throwing on her shirt and bra. She completely forgotten about her match that was on. Tonight. Before darting out the door Ichigo threw an envelope at Grimmjow, muttering that she'd be back next week, slamming the door shut behind her before either of them could even blink.

"Well what'd she give ya? A love letter?" Nnoitra asked teasingly, his smile almost splitting his face in two. He quickly tore the envelope open, curious about the contents. What could she possible give him? Silence was a model for him nothing more, unless she liked him. He smirked at the thought with a snort of disbelief, shaking his head he tipped the contents out the envelope and onto his lap. They were tickets to a fight. A fight between her and Rain.

Kisuke was worried for his daughters, a fight between the two would be gruesome and a lot of blood would be spilt but it meant the girls wouldn't have to hold back, they could go all out with each other. After they'd moved back in with Yoruichi and him, he had only seen them fight once, though it was only a warm up between the two it sent him cold with fear. The two stood in the ring now, waiting for the match to begin, the warehouse was already packed to the gills with people. Word had gotten round, it seemed that the people who had seen Shiro's début match were eager to watch her tear up another opponent in the ring, when word got that the fighters were twins it drove the excitement up to a new level. Hanataro stood off to the side shacking in fear, the warehouse had fallen completely silent seconds ago, the only thing to be heard was a soft warning growl emanating from Shiro. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, his infamous fan covering an uneasy smile as he pushed the boy forward into the crowd. He shouldered his way through slowly, apologising with every step before he made it to the ring side. Climbing the side of the barrier he clutched the wire tightly, not at all willing to start-up the match from the centre of the ring.

"And now for the fight you've all been waiting for. Tonight we have two sisters facing off. In the right corner our new champ SILENT DEATH and in the left in her first match after her ill-fated début BLOOD RAIN. Now the rules are no weapons, no substances and anything goes, LETS FIGHT!" Grimmjow pushed to front of the crowd with Nnoitra, growling at annoying who tried to pick a fight with him, just making in time to hear the mc announce the match. The girls crouched down low, looking more animal than human. Rain muttered something, he hadn't a clue what was said but it made Silence smile. Her grin so demented and feral it sent shivers down his spine. It happened in a flash, all of a sudden Rain darted across the ring tackling Silence only to be sent flying into the chain link barrier. It seemed like the vibrant copy had slammed her feet into the others chest with a mule kick but to those watching it seemed she hadn't even moved. Slowly she walked over to the Rain, the other grinning like she'd been given a present as she stood. Silence grabbed her head, squeezing it as she headed butted the pale copy. Rain stayed on her feet, licking up the blood that dripped down her face.

"I thought you could hit harder than that baby sister," she howled, her laughter filling the warehouse. The older delivered a round house kick to the ribs, Silence not even bothering to block it, diving in and slamming a fist into Rain's stomach, smashing her knee into her face as she doubled over. Rain curled her fingers into claws, raking her nails up the others leg, drawing blood; Silence actually hissed in pain. Rain laughed once more, sweeping out a leg and knocking the other on her ass. Within seconds it became an all out brawl. They were fighting with tooth and nail, fists and feet. Every hit had Grimmjow wincing in pain as they put full power into their attacks, sisterly bond abandoned at the sight of blood. It continued like this till Rain her had her sister in a hold, bending her backwards like she wanted to snap the younger in half. The sudden howl of pain had everybody jumping, even the other fighters that were watching winced at the sight. Silence had sunk her teeth into Rains calf, drawing blood. The pale copy released her instantly but the other didn't.

"Fucking hell!" She screamed, bashing her foot into the others jaw, wrenching the bone sideways. It looked like she'd either broken or dislocated Silence's jaw. They both stood, Silence grabbed her jaw pushing it back into place with a faint click. He couldn't believe that Silence hadn't uttered a sound throughout the match, it must have been the reason behind her name. Without warning she grabbed Rain by her hair, wrapping it round her wrist and yanked the other into a back bend, using her full might to punch her in the sternum. As Rain gasped for breath, Silence threw her over her shoulder and into the fence once more. That looked like the end of the match, Rain lay there unmoving for a few seconds surprising everyone when she got back up on her feet. Her manic grin still in place. Both of them started giggling.

"Bet the ribs hurt pretty bad, huh?" She asked, walking up to her calmly. Silence nodded, the two raised their fists.

"Wonder who's gonna be left standing?" She mused. The two stopped smiling, faces becoming serious. They let their fists fly, both hitting each other in the face. Silence staggered but managed to stay on her feet while Rain dropped clutching her nose. Hanataro slowly approached the barrier with caution, the two were just standing there. "Have you finished?" He asked, shaking in fear. When they saw blood they were known to attack anyone, friend or foe. Silence nodded, pointing to herself before he could even ask who the winner was. He nodded, letting go of the fence, dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner! Silent death!"


	6. Chapter 6

Ichigo groaned in pain as Kisuke taped up her ribs. All the adrenaline from the fight was gone, she could feel every spot where Shiro had struck her. The other was receiving the same treatment from their mother, but having her broken nose fixed. "How's the jaw? That was risky what you did up there," he scolded, poking at her ribs making sure they were taped up tight, luckily she'd only fractured a few, nothing broken. He sighed as she smiled. "It's fine, nothing I haven't done before," she muttered. That just earned her an eye roll and a flick to the forehead. He ignored her laughter, checking over the scratches on her leg. 'Looks like they'll both need stitches,' he thought glancing over at the bite mark the other had received. "Just bandage it and wrap it up tight, we'll fix it proper later," they both muttered, twin smiles on their faces. Their parents groaned, wonder where exactly they picked up this carefree attitude towards injuries. Shiro looked over her twin carefully, snorting at the damage she had done and gasping from the pain it caused her broken nose. "Little boy blue is gonna have a litter when he see's the damage, how's he gonna paint your picture now?" She teased, wondering if Ichigo had a crush on the painter. Ichigo had spent almost every spare minute of the last week at his, she even gone out of her way to get tickets for the fight which was members only. That would've meant asking their father for them and Ichigo avoided asking him for anything at all costs, he turned everything into a perverted interrogation. The younger just shrugged, hissing in pain. She had a particularly nasty bruise where her neck and shoulder met. "Hey Flower," she shouted, scaring everyone in the locker room. Almost no body had heard Ichigo speak yet let alone yell. The poor man ran across the room almost tripping at the shout, he squeaked ducking behind Kisuke when he saw who it was that had shouted for him. The champion still had blood staining her lips and teeth. "Go find the man with blue hair and bring him to me, please and thank you." Hanataro groaned, visibly shaking with fear at the sight of her and now he had to go find a man with blue hair. This man was probably going to be a monster like her, with horns and fangs, someone you could easily picture eating children. Stopping for a second he sighed, his imagination was getting the better of him again. His current profession wasn't doing him much good for his stress levels, he abhorred violence yet here he was working at an underground boxing ring as an announcer. "I should've just taken the job at the grocers," he muttered, shuffling to the door. "I'd only have to worry about being shot not beaten to death by deranged women. Great pay be damned." Pulling his jumper into his hands, he wove his fingers through the holes he'd already worn into it after his last bout of stress. At least his target would be an easy one to find, how often do you come across a man with blue hair? Plus he was fairly certain he'd seen the man in question before. There had been a rather large man with blue hair in the locker room once before, he remembered because the man had been brave enough to approach Silence after her championship match. He pushed the door open a few inches glancing round to see who was loitering, some of the members became extremely violent after a fight and would use any excuse to punch someone. To his relief the man in question was only a few metres from the door but he had the lanky man with him, his smile scared him, it was just unnatural to smile like that. Hanataro sighed, slouching forward in defeat. "Umm, excuse me," he said feeling quite brave till both sets of eyes were on him, glaring. Oh how he wanted to run. "Silence is asking for you," he said, trailing off into a mutter. The man nodded his thanks, leaving for the locker room quickly the lanky man following behind him. He opened his mouth to protest but the words died on his tongue when he remembered that Nel was dating the lanky man. That and if he even tried he had a feeling the man in question would beat him to a pulp and then some. "Ya look like shit Silence," he muttered, looking over her injuries. She snorted, that manic grin plastered on her face once more. Grimmjow liked that look on her, it showed more feelings than any other look, it made her seem more alive. And probably scared everyone who saw it. Smirking she raised a brow in question, he laughed it had taken little over a day to figure out what most of her silent gestures meant. "No problem, it'll just leads to some dark and scary images. Like vampires and cannibals." That earned him an eye roll and a snort, her smile a little less manic. Shiro sat there shocked at how well they were getting along, she never expected Ichigo to open up to a stranger like this. It was progress. They'd been in the city just under a year and nothing had happened, no one had come looking. Menoly was just a freak accident that neither expected. It was good for them to make friends, as long as the secrets stayed hidden they could stay here. "Oi blueberry, me, the almighty one sitting before you and some of the other looneys are gonna go for drinks. Ya coming?" Rain asked him, he nodded not one to miss a good drink with friends.

The girls were giggling, truly enjoying themselves since Kisuke had taken Yoruichi home after the match. They were at no risk of being embarrassed by her. Chad was once again tending the bar and only came near the group of girls when they ordered something, their childish antics were scary and he really didn't need to hear the comments they made about him and the other men they knew. "Hey Silence don't you think Grimmy is hot?" Neliel asked in cahoots with Shiro. The two had discussed the possibility on the way to the bar, Nel agreeing with her. Ichigo mulled it over for a second, stalling a little more by glancing at the man in question. "I must admit he has a nice ass but I haven't really thought about it," she said, erupting into another fit of giggles. It caused them all to glance his way, he frowned at the attention, wondering what in the name of hell they were doing staring at him like that. "Agreed," they all said bursting into giggles once more. "What about you Rain? Anyone catch your eye lately?" Halibel asked, curiosity peaked now they were on the subject of ideal guys and not just assessing the levels of hotness whenever a random guy passed. She bit her tongue in thought, trying to think with an alcohol fogged mind only to be interrupted by a stranger. Another man asking if she'd like a drink. "Oh fuck off, I'm not interested," she growled, annoyed with the unwanted attention. He frowned but did as she asked. "Tall, strong, a complete joker but when things get bad he gets serious. Silver hair is a must!" She blurted, confusing Halibel and Neliel. It sounded like she was describing a specific man. They giggled at the dreamy expression on her face, never having seen the girl like that. She looked happy lost within her fantasy. "Hey baby bitch what about Sado?" Shiro suddenly asked remembering a nice little secret of Ichigo's from high school. "If I remember correctly somebody had a major crush on him in high school and still does," she sang much to the others annoyance. Ichigo pouted and chucked a handful of nuts at the pale copy, vehemently denying the claims a blush lighting up her cheeks. What was said had been true once but not anymore. Shiro and Nel shared a little conspiratorial glance, grinning. "Prove it!" They shouted. A scowl marred her features and crossed her arms under her breasts, pissed with how the night was turning out. Finishing her drink, she slid down from her bar stool, spine straight in determination and marched over to where Grimmjow and Nnoitra were sitting. "Hey blue boy," she said, scaring the pair. Without warning she grabbed a fist full of his shirt and pulled him close, kissing the stunned man. His eyes were wide at the sudden turn of events but slowly responded to the kiss, sweeping a tongue over her lips and turning what was once a simple kiss into a full on make out session. The girls clapped and whooped, Ichigo flipped the bird in retaliation never breaking contact with Grimmjow. Deciding to ignore the plan for now, since the wanted results were achieved. Shiro asked Halibel about her taste in men, intrigued by the Amazonian woman. She smiled, snorting before finishing the rest of her drink. "I'm married, I've got a brat of my own so don't even think of trying to trick me like you did Silence over there." The pair frowned at being caught out, Shiro's smile becoming a scowl when somebody grabbed her ass. She punched the man growling, not even bothering with a warning. He didn't deserve one. With a bit of an effort she pulled herself up onto the bar, gaining the attention of everyone in the room bar her sisters. "Leave me alone, I am fucking married so no I don't want a drink and if anyone has the gall to grab me again beware I break bones." Her little speech over with, she jumped down from the bar, men backing away from her in fear. Her good mood gone she stormed out of the pub, asking Nel to tell Silence about her departure when she managed to stop sucking faces with the artist.


	7. Chapter 7

She wasn't wearing anything. That was her first thought when she woke up, no scratch that she still had her underwear on. Now she just had to figure out how she ended up, alone mind you, in someone else's bed. Ichigo could barely remember last night, just a lot of meaningless giggling about random men and something that may have been a dare came to mind. Yawning she cracked open a honey-brown eye, not wanting to move due to being completely comfy. The sight that greeted her was the back of a canvas and an art easel, meaning this was Grimmjow's bed. 'Thank fuck it's his bed and not a strangers,' she thought, a sigh of relief escaping her lips, alerting the other to her awareness.

"Morning," Grimm muttered, placing a mug of coffee before the bed. Grasping the mug she drank it quickly, not caring when the bitter liquid burnt her tongue. If didn't have a cup after waking she couldn't function properly.

"Who paints this early in the morning?" Ichigo asked, glancing round the room and noting all the curtains were drawn, the room lit by candle light, casting a warm glow over everything. Grimmjow laughed, the sound foreign to her, it wasn't his normal overly snide snicker. This sounded genuine and warm, she couldn't help but smile a little.

"Yeah, but 'm not normal. Should know that by now. I watched titanic recently, that line 'draw me like on of your French girls' or whatever the fuck it is has been stuck in my head. I've wanted to paint someone in that pose for a while but it's rather hard to find a girl that doesn't mind stripping in front of a guy and laying naked on a couch for hours. Most expect sexual favours and that's just not gonna happen. I took advantage of the fact that ya were asleep, hope ya don't mind." Ichigo snorted at him, rolling her eyes, he should have just asked her to pose for it. He couldn't see the eye roll but Grimmjow definitely heard her snort, he took that to mean she didn't give a flying fuck about hat he did.

"Uhh about last night," she muttered, pausing as she tried to figure out how to word the question she was going to ask. It was just too embarrassing to just ask him outright if they had sex, she might not care about being naked in front of someone but sex was a whole other ball park.

"We didn't fuck if that's what yer trying to ask." Her face went scarlet eyes wide as Grimmjow easily answered the question she was struggling to even phrase. He snickered when he saw how red her face was, it was amusing to see Silence blush over something so trivial.

"Just one hot and heavy make out session. Ya undressed yerself, before shoving me on the bed and saying good pillows don't move." With a groan she flopped back down onto the bed, covering her face with her hands, wishing the bed would swallow her whole. How could she say something like that to him.

"Just shoot me now and put me out of my misery," Silence groaned. Grimmjow could only laugh, moving to stand by the bed. He'd never seen her so lively before, it made him wonder why she was so cold all the time.

"It's not that bad," he muttered sitting on the end of his bed. Ichigo kicked out at him muttering for him to shut up and let her die in peace, moving her hands long enough to pull the covers over her head. He stood up, returning to the painting and waiting to see if she would remove the covers.

"Whose gonna model for me if ya die, huh?" He asked, hoping that would capture her attention. She grunted, and rolled over just her eyes visible in the mass of blankets, narrowed slits and fiery. The phrase if looks could kill came to mind when she pinned those dark angry eyes on him. Silence was not happy.

"Is that all I am to you, a model?" She asked, growling lowly. If that was all then she wasn't coming back, which she thought was ridiculous because that was their relationship. Model and painter. Ichigo didn't want anything else, she didn't need anyone but Shiro.

"Nah precious yer my muse, my beautiful firecracker of a muse and I couldn't ask for someone better." Hopefully that would please her because he meant every word he said. Silence was important to him, it seemed that his original fascination with her went from a subject matter to someone he admired and possibly held affections for. She had changed him, or at least when she was around he was better, more open. Before there were days, weeks and months when he refused to talk or even open his door for Nnoitra. If Nnoi couldn't pick looks he'd have probably died from starvation. Grimmjow would just paint and nothing else. It took tricks and violence to get him to leave the apartment, since he'd met Silence he'd started to willingly go outside again. Granted he didn't bother if she wasn't involved but at least now he opened the door when Nnoitra stopped by.

"Fuck off, I'm not even pretty. I still can't figure out why you even bothered talking to me," she muttered, rolling over once more. There was nothing about special about her. Shiro was the special one.

"Have more confidence in yerself precious. Come and have a look at this painting, this is how people see ya." That piqued her interest, enough to get her to turn around, eyes visible once more. That seemed to be as good as he was going to get. With a sigh he picked up the painting and moved the easel out of the way, flipping the canvas round to show her. It wasn't what Ichigo was expecting, she was thinking of the pose from titanic but this was different, this was beautiful. The girl was sitting sheets wrapped up in her legs, sitting sort of side on and looking over her shoulder. Long orange hair pulled up into a messy bun, eyes half mast, lips bruised from kisses. This got her to sit up. That couldn't be her.

"This is how I see ya, a beautiful young woman," he murmured, placing the canvas back on the easel carefully not to smudge the paint. She looked down at her hands, her knuckles covered in bruises and callouses, worn and rough. A boxers hands. Not the hands of a young woman.

"What happened last night, it won't happen again. I have to go." And there was that wall of ice once again reappearing. Grimmjow watched as she retreated in on herself, cutting off the world like when he had first met her.

"I have to go."

He looked like shit, sitting in the dark and painting by the light of one candle. It was demonic, the only thing visible amongst the black were a pair of eyes.

"Ya okay Grimmy?" Nnoitra asked, unable to stop staring at the canvas. It was like the eyes were following his movement, creeped him out. The blue haired man didn't answer to involved in what he was doing to notice he even had company. With a roll of his eye he sat down on the bed, glad he couldn't see the image on the canvas anymore. He hated it when Grimm got like this, the man was already a pain to deal with but this meant hours of sitting in silence and he couldn't stand it, drove him nuts. Eventually he stopped, dumping his brushes and palette in the bathtub. Nnoitra was asleep on his bed, he hadn't even noticed the lanky mans arrival. Kicking the bed the man jumped, not aware of what was happening and managing to slap himself as he flailed. He glared at Grimmjow guessing he was the cause of it all and scowled.

"I think I love her."


	8. Chapter 8

He tugged at his tie, never having liked formal wear but his manager had backed him into a corner and threatened to spend a week with him. That was more scary than a death threat. Grimmjow had never actually been to an opening before today he'd never even had his own showing, it had always been group shows. Rangiku walked up to him, grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

"I'm impressed blue, you managed to use all the wall space and it doesn't look cluttered. Remember talk to people, be nice, if I catch you swearing at someone I'm going to kill you. Refer all sales to me," she muttered fixing his tie and jacket, Ran was nervous, she became fidgety when she was nervous.

"Studio's set up the same way, and I promise blondie. I'll be on my best behaviour." He smiled to reassure her everything would be fine, moving to a place were he could watch the door hoping Silence would come. He'd sent her an invite even though it was open to public but he still couldn't push down his fear of her not coming. Surprisingly the first person in the door was Neliel and she was alone, that was even odder.

"Where's Nnoi? normally the two of you are joined at the hip," he asked. She looked at him utterly confused and glanced over her shoulder.

"I may have left him behind, I swear he was following me," she muttered, frowning for a second before pushing past Grimmjow to look at the paintings. He couldn't help but be amused by her child like personality. It wasn't long before Nnoitra entered, Halibel trailing behind him with a man on her arm and a child on the other. Nnoitra didn't speak a word to him storming off to find Nel once he stepped through the door but Hal stopped to say hi, the man continuing on.

"Grimm," she said nodding, a slight smile on her face. The most expression he had seen on the woman's face since he met her.

"Hey Hal, whose this pretty young girl?" He asked, bending down to her height only to be kicked in the shin before she started running. Hal glared at her, smile gone.

"That was my daughter Lilynette, the man sitting on the park bench over there is my husband Stark," she said, pointing over to him. Grimmjow scowled at the man, he was asleep sitting next to the marble skeleton statue that adorned the bench.

"The fuck is he doing?! Get him off my work now Hal," he growled, storming over to where Stark was before Halibel could do anything. Grabbing the man by the scruff of his shirt, he shook him till he woke up, yawning as if he wasn't being held up by someone.

"Yo." Grimmjow's eye twitched, he dropped the confused man to the floor without another word, walking away before he hit the man remembering his promise to Rangiku. Halibel marched over to her husband glare venomous as she pulled him from the floor, Stark looked scared.

"Do not sit on the art work," she stated, her face once more a stern mask. Laughter filled the gallery shortly after, he spotted Tatsuki near the entrance a voluptuous orange haired woman on her arm. The pair accompanied by the petit raven he'd seen a few times in the locker room at the ring and a tall man with long blood-red hair. It wasn't long before the general public started to pour in, art dealers and critics among them. Few bothered speaking to him, all preferring his manager which annoyed him slightly because she knew nothing about art and all the critics were talking to her. It seemed like his explosive temper had been leaked to the art community.

"Relax Blueberry, the crowd's looking rather worried since the artist looks like he's going mad." He jumped at the foreign voice, anger forgotten for the moment. It was the exotic woman from the ring and her blonde counterpart that had come up and spoken to him. He rolled his eyes at the pair but slowly started to relax.

"I'm just peeved that the critics aren't willing to speak to me, and what are you two doing here?" He asked, since it was extremely odd for them to be here. He'd never spoken to the pair, they knew him by name because of the twins but the nature of their relationship was non-existent, at least to his knowledge it was.

"Well the girls at the ring are like family to us, they are all here tonight and the twins asked us to come. There's more to it but if Silence hasn't said anything then neither can I," the blonde said, his fan hiding a sly smile. His words caused him to relax further, if they were invited by the twins then it meant Silence was going to come.

"Now who do we go to if I want to buy one of these paintings?" The lady asked, the biggest grin on her face, making it seem like she was up to mischief. "Planning to embarrass Silence then, well ma'am my manager Rangiku is handling the sales. The busty blonde in the shirt and slacks with the black book, over there," he pointed out, she was currently talking to Neliel.

"A thought just came to me, you've no idea what our names are do you?" The blonde asked, ever-present smile becoming wider with each word.

"Oh honey don't, she'd kill you. I'm Yoruichi and this idiot is Kisuke or hat 'n' clogs if you ever forget, later blueberry." And with that they were gone and Grimmjow was left standing there feeling slightly confused by the conversation.

Ichigo and Shiro arrived an hour and a half after the doors opened, having been stuck in traffic after picking up a friend from the train station.

"Ishida why didn't you just catch a taxi here instead of waiting for us?" Shiro asked, utterly annoyed with him.

"Because Snow-chan, I can't believe your making us use those silly nicknames in public, you invited me all the way out here so you have to take care of my needs," he stated, striding off the second he finished his little speech. It was as if he couldn't stand them but the girls knew he missed his friends having been the only one to stay in Karakura after graduation. He was just happy to be here and instead of just saying that he acted like a prick which was normal. They shook their heads, Chad rolling his eyes at him.

"He could have just said thanks," he muttered sighing, he nodded to the twins choosing to follow Ishida. Shiro glanced over her shoulder at Ichigo, brow raised at how she hesitated to move from that spot. Ichigo had told Shiro what had happened the next morning and from what the other had said it seemed Grimmjow liked her a lot. What was bothering Ichigo was that things between them were going to be weird. After he went out of his way to complement her, she acted like a dick. Even if she didn't want to make attachments to others, she didn't need to make more enemies while she was still living in the city.

"We have to go say hello, it'd be rude," she said, grabbing the others arm and tugging. Just a meter away from the artist she stopped digging in her heels, jamming her elbow into Shiro's ribs. It was going to be awkward, she just knew it after what had happened between the two.

"Hey blueberry," Shiro called ruining all chances of escape. The man in question turned around with the biggest smile she had ever seen on him. Her theory was correct, Grimmjow had fallen hard.

"Hello good to see you made it," he said, eyes on Ichigo alone, making her squirm a little.

"Well I'm going to look around, let you two chat." It seemed the pair didn't hear her, Ichigo to busy hiding behind her to notice anything she said till she walked off. Ichigo's eyes went wide and she grabbed for her sister only to miss her. With a scowl she mentally cursed the other, promising to punch her in the ribs later. She didn't know what to say to Grimmjow and now she was alone with him. Better to just face the music now then put it off and let things get worse.

"About the othe-" he cut her off, saying, "just forget it, doesn't matter. If it's easier for you just pretend it never happened." It hurt to see how she relaxed at his words, but that didn't matter. If Silence didn't feel the same way there was nothing he could do about, it was just best to act like normal even if it killed him.


	9. Chapter 9

"I really like this one, I us-" someone tapped her shoulder interrupting her. Ichigo turned intent on scaring whoever it was that bothered her but the words of anger immediately died on the tip of her tongue when she saw who it was.

"Oh my god Hime-chan," she squealed, grabbing the girl by the arms and bouncing on her heels. Grimmjow looked up the ceiling wondering who he angered to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment but at least he would finally learn her name.

"It's so good to see you Berry-chan, it's been what five years since I last saw you," the stranger said pulling her in for a hug. No, apparently not. It seemed like he was never going to learn what her name was. When the stranger pulled back she finally noticed him standing there, Grimmjow recognised her as the girl Tatsuki came with.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation," she blurted, eyes wide in panic as she bowed. He'd never seen anyone bow before.

"It's fine ma'am, just discussing my work. Ya came in with Tatsuki, ya a friend of hers?" He asked, curious about her. Many of Tatsuki's friends, in fact almost all of them, were guys or gym junkies, this girl was like Nel, childish in looks and personality.

"You know Tatsuki? Which means you must be Jaegerjaques-San. I'm Orihime, her girlfriend." Grimwpmjow could say nothing, not expecting that at all. In all the time he had known Tatsuki she had never once mentioned that she was into girls.

"Congratulations Hime-chan, how did you know I was here?" Orihime giggled pointing at two men on the other side of the room, her smile widening.

"Ishida-chan and Sado-kun. I ran into them earlier, Sado-kun suggested I say hello but I didn't need him to say that. There is no way I could pass up this opportunity to see my best friend again," she said, her smile rivalling that of the Cheshire Cat. Ichigo had a smile on her own face, but it was slightly guilty. She never said good-bye when she left and never once thought of the girl she had once considered her best friend in the five years apart.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't try to contact you at all Hime, things got busy. Did you want to talk to Snow? She's around here somewhere," she muttered, half distracted as she glanced round to find her sister. Orihime shook her head, her smile polite but tight, it seemed like she was still mad with Shiro over the last argument they had.

"I guess even after five years apart good friends can still chat like no time has passed," Grimmjow commented reminding her that he was still there. Saying nothing she watched as the girl she had once called her best friend walk away.

"No, sometimes people can forget the past. Next time we meet it will be as strangers passing each other on the street." They stood in silence for a bit, Grimmjow thinking about what she had said. It didn't make any sense to him, things had looked fine between the pair.

"I'm going to go find Rain," she murmured, almost running away from the man in search of her twin.

The only thing that alerted her to her sisters shock was the soft tinkle of glass shattering, she turned to see that the wine glass had slipped from Shiro's fingers, her hand trembling, the other looked ready to cry. Ichigo moved closer to her, tapping her lightly on the shoulder, fearing the worst. Slowly Shiro pointed out a man across the room. Following her line of sight Ichigo gasped. The man she was pointing to had their back to them but there was no denying who it was. Gin Ichimaru. He was just standing there alone, looking up at a painting; one that Shiro had actually posed for. Ichigo remembered that day, she'd been sick with food poisoning so Grimmjow had surprisingly asked Shiro if she'd model instead and she had agreed thinking it would be fun. To her dismay it wasn't, Shiro couldn't stand still for more than five seconds. The painting was of her walking over a lake, the scene viewed from a gap in the trees. Her long white hair pulled up into a bun and covered in flowers. Grimmjow had made her a fairy in the painting and she was laughing, trying her hardest not to fall into the lake. It was no wonder that Gin only looked at that particular painting and nothing else. Before long Grimmjow was making his way over to the man, probably to introduce himself, the twins were too far away to hear what was being said and Shiro too unwilling to move closer if he spotted her. The talk continued for a while, Grimmjow patting him on the shoulder at one stage, the bright smile was replaced with a sorrowful look for a few seconds. The two argued over something, Ichigo guessing that Gin wanted that painting, no matter what. Eventually the grin returned in full force and they shook hands. Ichigo thought about moving before they were spotted by the man, thinking Shiro wouldn't be able to handle it if he saw her. Too late. Grimmjow was already pointing them out to the silver-haired man. When he set his sights on Shiro, his normally slitted eyes were wide open revealing sky blue orbs. At this point Shiro was sobbing uncontrollably, all Gin had to do was step towards her arms open. Within seconds she was hurling herself at him, his arms wrapped tightly around her in an instant. He didn't even care that she was ruining his suit with snot and tears. Ichigo smiled at the scene, Shiro deserved happiness. Grimmjow just stood where he was terribly confused by what had just happened, looking towards Ichigo for answers. Her response was a smirk, quickly walking round the couple to the stunned artist, pulling at his wrist till he followed. The pair hid behind a statue, the couple just within their sights.

"The fuck just happened?" Grimmjow asked, peering over her shoulder. She elbowed his lightly, shushing him.

"What did Gin talk about with you?" She asked, whispering, if she didn't Gin would probably overhear every word they said.

"I went over and said hi, he'd been standing there for almost an hour staring at that one painting. We exchanged names, I asked what was so fascinating about that piece and he told me she looked exactly like his dead wife. We haggled, struck a deal and then he asked me who the model was, out of curiosity I enquired why he'd want to know who the model was. Gin told me he was going to be faithful to his wife forever even though she was gone but he'd at least like to see her one last time, to say goodbye, even if it was just a look-alike. Ya know the rest," he mumbled staring at her, hoping to get an explanation, knowing he might not. After almost a minute of silence he looked at her about to ask his question again when he noticed the look of utter sorrow on her face as she stared at the pair. Grimmjow put a hand on her shoulder spinning her round, putting her back to the pair.

"Ya okay?" He asked, bending down so he was eye level with her. Biting her lip she glanced down at the floor, not sure how to answer his question. She was going to lose Shiro to Gin

"Can I stay at yours for a while?" She asked muttering, he almost missed what she said.

"Sure precious."


	10. Chapter 10

"Yer an idiot!" He hissed, waving a fork at the blue haired man across from him with the intentions of stabbing the idiot in front of him if he even thought he could talk back.

"What the fuck made ya think it would be a smart idea to have the girl ya think ya love stay with ya? Grimmy what the fuck are you thinking!" He asked, close to shouting. The man was driving him insane. Grimmjow clenched his jaw, not wanting to talk about it. He knew Nnoitra was going to bring up his past and he didn't want to hear about it, he didn't want think about it and he didn't want to talk about it. He'd buried that chapter of his life, locked it away so he would never have to relive it.

"Drop it Nnoitra, this doesn't concern ya," he ground out, taking deep breath's to calm himself before he punched the man.

"Oh yeah, well ya fucking dragged me into this bloody mess when ya had to run yer mouth off and tell me ya think ya love Silence. If ya didn't want my opinion ya should have never said a thing to me." He wouldn't back down, he couldn't handle it if Grimmjow fell into another depression. The man would probably kill himself this time.

"I said drop it Nnoitra, I don't want yer opinion okay. Ya fucking bring this up again and 'm gonna tell Nel ya saw Silence naked," he growled, voice low and intimidating. Why couldn't Nnoi just leave if alone, it wasn't any if his business what he did with his personal life. Nnoitra stood up throwing his fork at the big idiot with all the strength he could muster. He wasn't afraid of Nel even though she could snap him like a twig with relative ease.

"Ya know what Grimm fuck you and yer little dog too! If this all goes to shit I'm not picking up the pieces this time. I may be yer best friend but if ya keep treating me like this I'm gonna just walk away and let ya die." The blue haired man glared at him, the smallest hint of confusion hidden within in his glare. Slowly he sat down again, knowing what he would say next would hurt his best friend.

"What do you mean by pick up the pieces Nnoitra?" He asked saying each word slowly, anger lacing his voice once more.

"Yukari," he muttered, a grim look staining his features. Nnoitra deserved whatever divine punishment he got for bringing up that name but he had to risk opening all those old wounds. Taking care of Grimmjow during his depression had almost killed him, seeing the once strong and vibrant Grimmjow become dull and lifeless. They were best friends, Grimmjow had saved his life once, he was a brother to him.

"Don't talk about her," he whispered glaring at the floor, fists clenched so tight his nails were almost cutting into the skin.

"Do you remember what happened to her Grimmjow?" he asked.

"Shut up, just shut up," he screamed, picking up a plate throwing it at Nnoitra. He didn't want to hear about it, he didn't want to remember what happened. It was too much to bear. Grimmjow hadn't gotten over what had happened with her, he just bottled up his feelings and shut down so he wouldn't have to feel.

"She went insane." The table was kicked over, glass showering the floor mixing with beer and food. The bartender glared at the pair but said nothing, carefully watching the two and ready to step in should things get worse.

"She went insane because of you." This time it was a punch to the face, his nose bleeding.

"Because of how much you loved her." Another lunch to his jaw, he just took the abuse without a sound of pain.

"Shut the fuck up Nnoitra, don't ever talk about her again," he hissed, finally walking away from him.

"When was the last time you went to visit her Grimmjow?" He stopped before the last word left Nnoitra's lips, shoulders hunched in pain. Grimmjow didn't turn back, if he did he'd probably kill the man. Nnoitra slumped in his seat the strength leaving his limbs quickly, shaking from adrenalin and fear. He really thought Grimm was going to turn around and pummel him into the ground. With a sigh he removed the bandanna covering his eye, holding it to his nose, revealing scars and a white eye.

Slamming the apartment door shut he collapsed onto the bed and flinging an over his face. Why did that stupid idiot have to bring her up, everything they did together was raising to the surface. The creaking of the door interrupted his thoughts, Silence kicking it shut the bang echoing throughout the room. He watched in silence as she toed off her heels, dressed in a blood-red high-waisted pencil skirt and a white long sleeve button up shirt briefcase in hand.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He snapped, still pissed because of Nnoitra. She glared, denying him the answer he wanted which in turn just angered him more.

"I said where the fuck have you been?" He was shouting now, Grimmjow stood moving to grab her arm and force an answer from her but she evaded him.

"What the hell crawled up your ass and died?" Ichigo muttered icily, stepping away from him not wanting to deal with his pissy attitude and ruin what had been a perfectly good day.

"Answer me woman."

"I got called into work and looked at an apartment, now fuck off Grimm. Don't ever call me woman again. I don't care what your problem is but don't fucking take your anger out on me," she warned, tugging her fighting gear out of her suitcase.

"Of course someone like you wouldn't care, you have the emotions of a rock. A shitty little brat like you could never understand what I've been through, you can never understand what it's like to lose someone you love. I bet the worst that's ever happened to you is a dead pet," he jeered, scowling. She would never understand the pain he was feeling, never.

"Grimmjow you don't know anything about me, I am one of the few people who will truly understand what it's like to lose someone close to you," she said, trying to keep calm. Another silly outburst from him and she'd most likely lose it.

"Oh really? did your last boyfriend dump you?" He asked sarcastically, brow raised and his arms crossed.

"Fuck you. Just because you've experienced great emotional pain doesn't mean you can be a fucking asshat to people. I am losing my sister, the one person I can actually trust to a man."

"Well fuck me sideways, I'm sure you really understand what it means to lose someone, stupid drama queen," He said, rolling his eyes as he interrupted her. She growled slapping him sharply before continuing.

"A man how could potentially destroy everything we've worked for the past year. I have lost the right to return home because I can't risk the lives of those I love. I've had to abandon all my friends in the dead of the night, knowing that what I did could have had them killed. Have you ever had to live with the weight of someone's death on your conscience? Every time I close my eyes all I see is his face. I can't sleep at night. I don't have the luxury of relaxing anymore because if I make one tiny mistake I'm going to be thrust back into a world I hate, where the only alternative is a life on the run because I am scared of turning back into the person I once was. I have lost the right to be called a human being. What have you lost Grimmjow? A lover? A friend? Or maybe even a parent? None of that compares to what I've lost but you don't see me taking my anger out on people and don't you dare to try to say I'll never understand that pain." They stood there in silence for a second, glaring at each other.

"I'm sure, probably a fucking liar." He regretted the words as soon as he spoke them, the look of pain and sadness on her face quelled his anger instantly. Ichigo shoved her stuff back into the suitcase, not able to look at him. Pausing at the door for a second she turned, her stare like daggers to the heart.

"Don't ever talk to me again." He swore, smashing a fist into the wall as he cursed. Just his luck he'd managed to drive away the person he loved. It seemed like his past was repeating itself.


	11. Chapter 11

Chad sighed to himself, it looked like there was going to be more shouting and broken glasses. Ichigo was beyond drunk, smashing glasses every so often but she hadn't said a single word yet. That would take the rest of the bottle of tequila to get her talking about what was troubling her, it was also why he hadn't cut her off yet. She needed to get it off her chest and Ichigo wasn't going to do that willingly. That girl carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and refused to share the burden with others. Pouring her another drink, he stood there just watching her. The bar was almost empty, the last few patrons unfazed by the angry red-head.

"I fucking hate him Sado." He didn't ask who, he knew she would never say. That was the annoying thing about the twins, since coming back they didn't speak about anything and when they did it never made any sense. Chad knew he shouldn't pry but the girls were like family to him, he only wanted to help and protect them from whatever it was that scared them. Especially Ichigo who was so independent that she refused help from everyone, even when she knew doing it alone would hurt her or possibly kill her.

"Sorry but I'm going to close up early." Nobody argued with him, the three men still there just finished their drinks and left. Leaving Ichigo where she was, bottle in reach, he locked up grabbing empty glasses on his way back to the bar. Sticking his arms under hers he picked her up with relative ease.

"Up we go," he mumbled walking her to the stairs. Chad actually owned the bar that the fighters frequented, he had for the last five years since moving to the city from Karakura. The rooms upstairs were where he lived, it was just easier on him then catching the train from the apartment he had once owned on the other side of the city. Ichigo climbed the stairs using her hands to stay up right as she walked, Chads hands never leaving her waist. She'd already fallen over twice, the first time she'd almost bashed in her nose on the edge of the stair. They had almost reached the top of the stairs when Ichigo feel down, giving up and deciding it was a good enough place to sit. Chad climbed the last few steps sitting down at the top.

"I just wish I never left, if I hadn't of met him things would have been fine," she drawled, patting her pockets, pulling out a carton of smokes and a lighter. That surprised him, he'd never pictured Ichigo as a smoker but the way she lit it with ease suggested she'd been smoking for years. Blowing out perfect smoke rings she leaned back, the sharp corners of the stairs digging into her back but she didn't care. The sweet toxic voice of the man she hated was running through her mind, repeating the words he had whispered in her ear the day she met him.

"Stupid idea, but it was mine, nobody to blame but the emotionless rock," she muttered, laughing. It scared Chad how weird she got when tequila was involved but he wouldn't say a word to her, he'd seen her fight once and that was a scarier sight.

"Oh if I had just walked away, wouldn't have been addicted to fighting. The sight of your enemies crying in pain, begging to be let go is so intoxicating. If only I had never met that snake man." Her words were slurred, anger gone. The ashes from her cigarette tumbled onto the stair beneath her, Ichigo watched the paper burn brightly before taking another drag.

"He smoked, or he used to. Said it helped him think, fucking asscake. I would've screwed him if he weren't so stoic." Now Chad was lost, was she talking about the same man or somebody else altogether? He'd never know, even drunk Ichigo kept a tight hold on her many secrets.

"Stupid bitch left me for a man, me!" She shouted, thumping a heel on the stairs. "I'm her fucking mirror thingy, she's mine. But no second her gay ass husband shows up the bitch cuts all ties with me." Shakily she stood, only to sit herself in Chads lap confusing the poor man.

"That's why Sado is better than the bitch, you'd never leave me for your husband." It wasn't long before she started crying, slamming her fist into the wall and leaving behind a sizeable dent.

"Why did he have to do that? I could have done it alone and the fucking bastard would still be here. I miss him!" She wailed. Burying her head in his shoulder she cried, cautiously Chad placed a hand on her back unsure of how she'd react. She just continued to cry.

The sights and sounds of the spectators didn't excite her, nor did the prospect of a good fight get her blood pumping. All of it, the shouts and taunts, was just making her furious. Unohana stood before her the figure of grace, her polite smile still in place. That irked her, she wanted to rip it from the woman's face. Ichigo had arrived alone just going straight from Chads even though Shiro had promised to pick her up but as she glanced at the fighters seat's Ichigo saw that her twin was nowhere to be seen. Shiro deserved happiness, not her but she still couldn't let her sister go. Cracking her knuckles one by one, she glared at Hanataro not willing to wait any longer for the fight to begin. He shrunk under her gaze, eyes darting towards Kisuke seeking help. The second he nodded, albeit reluctantly, Ichigo jumped into the ring scowling at the people watching as they shouted at her to win. Kisuke watched as she paced the ring, like a tiger ready to pounce. Something was wrong with his daughter. Her edgy behaviour riled up the crowd, annoying Ichigo further.

"Shut the fuck up," she screamed, slamming a hand into the wire cage the surrounded the ring. Everyone backed away falling silent, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Now now Silence, that is no way to speak to people," Unohana chided that care smile still in place. Ichigo growled stalking up to the older woman, swinging a fist into her jaw at the hinge.

"Got anything else to say to me bitch?" She asked, smashing her foot up into her sternum. While Unohana gasped in pain trying to regain her breath Ichigo grabbed her hair, ripping it out of the braid. Wrapping her hair round her wrist she dragged her up to her feet. Quickly she slammed the heel of her hand into up Unohana's nose and then let her fall to the floor before digging her foot into her spine. Kisuke watched in silence worried about what would happen to Unohana if he let the fight continue on for much longer.

"Hat 'n' clogs." He jumped at the voice, turning to face the speaker.

"Nnoitra, it's good to see you," he murmured, worry lacing his voice.

"What's up with the death berry? She looks sad." That shocked him, anyone else, even Yoruichi, would say she was angry. Only Shiro and himself could tell that she was upset.

"Surprised huh. I spend a lot of time with the berry and Grimm, after a while I noticed a few small things about her but it was Grimmjow that figured out the difference between angry and sad. When I first met her at Grimm's apartment she slammed me into the wall face first, didn't say a word. Then there was a day where she punched me out of the blue and shouted at me to shut up, Grimm said not to get mad and just let it go since she was upset. I didn't get it then but I do now." Kisuke nodded impressed by the blue berry. He didn't think the artist would understand her moods so quickly. Glancing back towards the match he noticed Ichigo was seconds from wrenching Unohana's leg from the socket.

"Stop, this match is over," he shouted rushing to the ring, grabbing Ichigo by the shirt he hauled her off to the side. Within seconds she collapsed in his grip, unable to hold back the tears. She couldn't deal with it anymore, the memories flooded her every waking moment and always ended in his death. Sinking to the floor Ichigo felt like she was about to faint. Kisuke sat down with her, hugging her tightly as she cried.


	12. Chapter 12

"Nel I don't want to go," Ichigo pleaded grumbling. Neliel had hold of her waist, she was practically dragging the red-head. Nnoitra had asked her to bring her to the bar and she didn't want to disappoint her boyfriend. Plus Silence was her friend, she hated seeing her so upset, it broke her heart to see a person in that much pain.

"Sweetie please don't fight me, we just don't want you to be alone right now since Rain hasn't been round much." Silence winced at the mention of her other half, slumping up against Nel in defeat.

"Don't say her name," she muttered, removing Nel's arm from her waist deciding she didn't need help walking to the bar. Chad greeted them as they enter, his smile tense. He really couldn't be bothered cleaning up more broken glass and Ichigo had a bad tendency to break things when she was sad. Bones or glass it didn't matter to her.

"Hey Chad, two beers please," Nel ordered practically bouncing up to the bar with Ichigo in tow grabbing at her again. He placed the beers on the bar while Neliel picked up Ichigo, hooking her arms round her waist and placing her on the stool. In a way she was glad for Nel, it seemed like she didn't have the energy to move anymore. Maybe she should rely on her friends, just for today.

"You okay?" Chad asked, ruffling her hair. With a sigh she leaned up against Nel.

"Sorry Sado, I'm not okay," she murmured dropping her head onto the older woman's shoulder. Scooting her chair closer, Nel wrapped her arm around Silence wishing she would talk about what was upsetting her. Scaring Nel with his sudden arrival, Nnoitra slid onto the stool next to Ichigo, placing a slender hand on her shoulder for comfort. She managed a smile, gasping when she saw him. The bandanna was gone but not only that he had tied back most of his hair exposing his other eye. He grunted, a smile tugging at his lips. At least she wasn't too far into her depression not to notice the change in his looks.

"Ello lovely, I have something to say ta ya later 'kay. But first What happened between you and Grimmy? He was on my doorstep last night on the verge of tears. We got into a fight at lunch normally he would just ignore me for months but within hours he was at mine cussing up a storm. I could barely understand anything he said, it was mainly Silence hates me, oh shit and I fucked up bad." He paused for a second, biting his lip. Their fight was his fault, the berry head had the right to hit him. He probably should have waited till she was ready to leave his place before he voiced his concerns.

"'M the reason behind yer fight, I pissed off Grimmjow. Mentioned something I shouldn't have and he has a bad habit of taking his anger out on other people. Hit me, do as ya like, it's my fault." Ichigo sat up straight, glancing at him. She couldn't be mad at him, he may have been the cause of Grimmjow's anger but what he did after was his fault and his alone. He should have been able to control his anger.

"Not your fault Nnoi." She stood swaying for a second fearing she was going to fall, if that happened they wouldn't let her leave alone. Neliel and Nnoitra were just trying to cheer her up but what she needed most was some time alone with her thoughts.

"Thanks for trying, but I think this is something I need to deal with alone. It has nothing to do with that bastard, but something I tried to forget. I'm gonna go home," Ichigo said, mustering up a small smile even though she felt completely numb.

Every step she took seemed mechanical, Ichigo felt hollow on the verge of collapsing. The surrounding silence was maddening, now that she no longer had Shiro to fill in the quiet. Speaking of quiet. Ichigo stopped for a second patting at her pockets, in the pretence of searching for her cigarettes. Someone was tailing her, the streets were unnaturally quiet, no one else in sight but she could hear the faint sounds of thick-soled boots hitting the pavement. 'What an idiot, must be a new guy if he thinks he can tail me,' Ichigo thought raising a brow in amusement as she lit the cancer stick. Continuing on like she hadn't noticed the stalker Ichigo turned the nearest corner, backing herself up against the brick wall to listen. The footsteps sped up a little. She was right, someone had found her. As soon as the assailant turned the corner she grabbed the mans arm swinging him into the walls he she twisted his arm behind his back in a most painful way.

"First rule of stalking, don't wear thick-soled boots. If the person you're tailing has prior experience they're bound to hear the sounds of you footsteps," she whispered seductively, falling back into old habits. Grabbing the gun tucked in the waist band of his jeans, she pressed the barrel of his gun to the base of his skull.

"I-I'm not scared o-of you," he stuttered, the small of attempt at bravery made her laugh.

"I know baby, you're such a tough man," she purred teasingly, making him shudder. Whether from fear or pleasure she didn't know nor car.

"Name please?" She asked almost perky, whacking his head lightly with the but of the gun, making it so he was no longer facing the wall. He was quite pretty for a man, tall slender frame, long light blonde hair that was well taken care of. Straight sharp features with interesting red eyes but not quite the colour of blood.

"Ilfort. Am I right in guessing that you're Ichigo Kurosaki?" He asked mumbling, gun digging into his cheek bone. It looked rather painful to have a gun jammed right up against the bone.

"Nope dead wrong, I'm Chihiro Miyama. Last name please, if you disobey me I think I'll put a bullet in you foot, this silencer was a very splendid idea," Ichigo said in an overly cheerful tone. It scared her a little, how easy she found it to fall back into the role of a gangster.

"Granz,"he grunted out, "Ilfort Granz." Her eyes widened in shock, she knew that name. Someone very dear to her once shared that very same name.

"Szayel's older brother right?" She asked, unsure if the man really did have a brother or was just lying at the time. He nodded quickly, seemingly happy that someone knew him as his brother.

"Interesting, he wasn't lying then. So sweet-cheeks did the boss send you here?" She'd be on the run again if that was the case, if that man knew where she was. Officially she was dead, but without a body he'd never believe that. She should have argued with Shiro further about that.

"He asked me to find you, in return I'd get my brother back," he explained, knowing it was pointless to keep quiet, she'd either torture him and then be shot or just shot. He'd heard rumors about her having cut off people's fingers one by one in order to get what she wanted. He'd never been one for pain, sometimes the sight of blood made him sick. He stood there thinking about having his fingers removed when the woman holding him hostage started laughing.

"Oh my poor baby, Szayel's dead. Your precious boss off him for betrayal, plugged him full of holes." Ilfort struggled against her grip, screaming profanities, shouting that it wasn't true.

"Now tell me how you found me and I won't let a bullet scramble that tiny little brain of yours," she offered slammed the gun into his jaw so he would shut up. The screams were annoying. He whined a little falling silent when she trained her glare on him.

"Menoly, ran into her a week ago. Great fuck she is. Said she'd run into the twins, so I followed the lead." The man sounded so proud of himself that it was pathetic Ichigo would probably have to hunt down Menoly now. What a pain.

"Did you tell anyone about where you were headed? She asked getting straight to the point, now was the time for mind games.

"No, I was just assigned this mission."

"Where can I find Menoly?"

"She's working at a place called melons." He was shaking now, something about her suggested that his time was up.

"Tell him I'm sorry," Ichigo whispered, frowning as she pulled the trigger. The bullet went cleanly through his skull since it was such a close range shot, lodging itself into the wall. Searching the body she removed his wallet, knife and cell phone. Turning off the cell she stashed it in her pocket for later and used the blade to dig the bullet out of the wall. Leaving evidence behind was never a good idea. Without remorse for the dead man she smashed her boot into his face, breaking his jaw, teeth and basically distorting the bullet hole.

"Sorry it had to be you," Ichigo muttered, setting his clothing on fire. She watched the body burn for a few seconds, remembering to retrieve the bullet casing before resuming her trip home, formulating plans as she walked.


	13. Chapter 12 2

- side story -

They watched her leave before Nel could no longer hide her curiosity and excitement. Nnoitra had sometime to say to her. She was practically bouncing in her chair.

"Soooo what was it you wanted to say, are you going to tell me what happened to your eye?" She asked, tilting her chair dangerously. Nnoitra sighed, he was going to have a hard time saying what he wanted to tonight. He forgot how excited Nel could get over small things. He didn't mind telling her about his eye, whatever made her happy.

"Kid from my orphanage set a firework off in my face, as revenge," he muttered, finding the whole situation ridiculous. Nel burst into laughter. He had to grab her stool to keep her from tipping it over and hurting herself. Nel was such a clutz but he liked that about her.

"Oh my god Nnoi, what did you do to that poor boy?" She asked words broken up by laughter.

"The bastard stole my shirt, it was my favourite shirt! I socked him in the jaw and knocked out a tooth, during our New Years celebration we were each given a small rocket and he aimed his at my face. I was in hospital for a month," he grunted, hoping he could finally speak his mind.

"Oh wow, did you hit him again? How old were you? Did he g-" he placed his hand over her mouth to stop the mountain of questions from growing.

"I was four, I never saw him again. I got adopted while I was in hospital. Now hush love," he ordered removing his hand. Biting his lip, he shoved his hand in his back pocket, fingers curling around the box. He pulled it out, nervously looking down at his feet.

"I know we haven't been together long but I've never loved anyone like I do you." He paused getting down on one knee, opening the box.

"Will you marry me?" She squeaked hands fluttering around her face before she laughed herself off the stool tackling him to the ground. Wrapping her arms around his neck in a choke hold she screamed "yes". People around them cheered, as he pulled Nel to her feet, kissing her once she was steady. He passed the box over to her before she caused him more harm trying to retrieve it.

"Oh Nnoitra, its beautiful. I love you so much," she cried, slipping on the ring.

"I love you too Nel."


End file.
